Return
by Aoibhinn Croi
Summary: ON HOLD Awhile has passed since Shokora has died and there's another Mew Mew on the job to protect earth. The Saint Rose Crusaders have been causing quite a lot of trouble, but what will happen when Berry meets their newest member?
1. New Life

_Floating. Just drifting to who knows where… How long have I been like this…?_

"_You don't want to die, do you…?" A low voice asks, coming from all around me._

'_I what?'_

"_You want to live…"_

'_Well of course.'_

"_I can make that happen…"_

'_Who are you?'_

"_You can call me Duke…"_

'_Duke…' My eyes open slowly, glancing around at my surroundings. Not much. Just…darkness. Nothing. Just black as far as I can see. 'So I'm dead?'_

"_Yes…"_

'_Why? What happened?'_

"_The cause…was Ichigo…"_

'_Ichigo? Why does that name sound so familiar?'_

"_She was the cause of your death…"_

'_But who is she?'_

"_Hate her…"_

'_What? But… I don't even know what she did… or who she even is!'_

"_Now…awaken…"_

_A bright light flashes, causing me to have to shield my eyes._

'_I died…?'_


	2. Berry Meets Shokora

**Sakura: So here's the sequel to 'Hidden Secrets'!**

**Berry: I'm in this one, right?**

**Tasuku: And me! -Clings to Berry-**

**Sakura: Yep:) This one is 'A La Mode' instead of just Tokyo Mew Mew.**

**Minto: So it's a sequel to your story…with the sequel to Tokyo Mew Mew…**

**Sakura: .-. I just noticed that…**

**Minto: -.-… -No comment necessary- **

**Sakura: I'm actually happy to write a sequel to this one. It might turn out good.**

**Minto: …We'll see.**

**Remember: I do not own any of Mia Ikumi's work. Not Tokyo Mew Mew, and not Tokyo Mew Mew A La Mode.**

**Minto: Because you can't come up with stories as good as those.**

**Sakura: T.T Ever so true.**

- - -

The sun shines dimly through the half closed curtains and onto the face of a blonde girl, slowly making her aware of the fact that morning had come. Sitting up and rubbing her eyes sleepily, the girl swings her legs over the edge of her bed and stands up. She covers her mouth and yawns, walking over to her closet to choose clothes for the day. "Time for work…" She mumbles, grabbing a shirt and a new skirt she had bought earlier that week. Getting changed didn't take her very long. Grabbing the brush, she walks over to her mirror. If it wasn't school or homework she was busy with, it was work. Considering there are five others working, people wouldn't think it would be that bad.

Wrong.

One never works, another is always breaking things or spilling, another one is always fooling around, and the fourth hardly ever shows up. The only hard workers are she and Ichigo.

"Berry!" Tasuku shouts, clinging onto her. "How are you this morning?"

"Tasuku…" She mumbles, finishing off with brushing her hair and places the brush down on the desk. "Do you have to do this every morning…?" She tries to pry him off while walking to her bedroom door. "Go home and get ready for school."

"I'm finished getting ready." He says happily. "I've had breakfast, I'm dressed…"

"I should hope so…" She grumbles, still trying to get him to uncling.

"And my school bag is ready, my lunch is made…"

"Okay, I get it." She interrupts, finally getting him to let go. "I'm going down to have breakfast now. Go back to your house."

"Aww…" He whines, making a puppy face. "But I want to spend time with you, Berry."

"Go."

Hanging his head in defeat, he jumps out her window and climbs back through his own. "I'll see you later, then!" He calls, a big grin placed on his face.

Berry lets out a long sigh as she walks downstairs. She sits down and begins to eat her set breakfast. "Morning, papa." She says around mouthfuls.

"Good morning, Berry!" Her father greets back in his usual cheerful tone. "You have work today, then?" He asks, not looking away from the dishes he was washing.

"How'd you guess?" She asks.

"You're not normally an early riser on the weekends."

"Hm." That was true. She loved to sleep in, but ever since she became a Mew Mew and started working at the café, she hadn't found any time for such. "Have anything important planed?" She asks, finishing off her breakfast and bringing her dishes up to the sink.

"Nope." He says simply. "Why do you want to know?"

"No reason…" She mumbles, heading out the door. "I'll be back later. Bye."

"Good bye!" Her father waves to her from as she closed the door. "Have fun…"

- - -

As Berry ran down the road, her mind was filled with thoughts of what's happened recently. Becoming a Mew Mew…and not only that, the only Mew with _two_ animal genes, having to battle the Saint Rose Crusaders constantly. All that on top of trying to have a normal life. _'And Tasuku really doesn't help sometimes…'_ She think irritably to herself. He was always sneaking into her room. Every morning; he comes, hugs her, and then leaves after awhile. What's with that?

Shortly after, she reached the café. _'Whew…made it on time.'_ She opens the doors, and heads to the back to change.

"Berry, have you seen Zakuro yet?" Ichigo asks from the other side of the door.

"No, why?" She asks, finishing with putting her uniform on.

"I was just wondering if she was coming today or not."

"I doubt it." Berry mumbles, walking out from the back room and into the main room to take the customers' orders.

"I guess you're right…" Ichigo sighs, doing similar.

"Where's Ryou?" Berry asks, glancing over at Ichigo after taking another order.

"Pff…who cares?" She grumbles, walking to the kitchen.

'_I do…'_

"Can we get two glasses of water over here?" A girl asks, waving to Berry.

"Right away." She says, putting a fake smile on her face. Giving a sigh afterwards, she goes to get the water. "You in bad terms with Ryou or something?" She asks when she walks past Ichigo.

"When am I not?" Ichigo walks over to a table and sets down a piece of pie in front of the person had ordered it. "Stupid jerk…" She mumbles under her breath.

"Do you think something would be bothering him? He seemed kinda…sad yesterday."

'_Right…it's been half a year since Shokora died today…'_ Ichigo thinks sadly to herself. "I…don't know…" Ichigo lies, going back into the kitchen to get another order.

"Ah, Pudding! Don't do that!"Berry gasps, taking her down from on top of a table.

"But I can juggle bowling pins while balancing on a ball on a table…!" She whines, looking disappointed at being stopped.

"Yes, I'm sure you can, but it's not good. You might break something."

_CRASH_

"Oh, Lettuce! Another plate?"

"I-I'm sorry!" She apologizes quickly as she goes to get a broom and dust pan.

"Uuugh… I'm going to get some air."Berry sighs, walking out the door.

"But what about meeee?" Ichigo asks, eyes spinning.

- - -

'_It's only been about twenty minutes, and I've had enough…'_ Berry looks up at the sky as she walks down the road. _'I'll just go to the park and back.'_ As she continued to look up at the sky while walking, she bumps into someone, causing both of them to fall back.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The person says softly, offering Berry a hand.

Berry looks up at her and stands up on her own. "No, no…that was my fault for not watching where I was going."

"Well, anyways…I'm still sorry. I should have moved off to the side." She says with a kind smile. Her long silver hair shone very beautifully in the sun and her eyes were a shining blue. They looked so innocent.

"Fair enough. My name's Berry." She says, pointing to herself. "And you?"

"Shokora."

- - -

**Sakura: Dun dun duuunn... :D**

**Minto: …-.- I don't like it.**

**Sakura: Well I do:(**

**Berry: Me too.**

**Tasuku: Who's Shokora?**

**Kisshu: She's back…? .-.**

**Ryou: …**

**Sakura: Yup. :o Next chapter up soon, hopefully! Review!**

(A/N: Sorry if there were any mistakes in here. I've proof read as best I could.)


	3. Who is Shokora?

**Sakura: This one is rushed sorta. Sorry. I have to get off the computer now and I wanted to do another chapter before I go on the family camping trip.**

**Minto: You're leaving?**

**Sakura: Yup.**

**Minto: Good...-.-**

**Sakura: ...T.T;'**

**Remember: I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew or Tokyo Mew Mew A La Mode!**

- - -

"My name's Berry." She says, pointing to herself. "And you?"

"Shokora."

Berry blinks a couple times, tilting her head to the side. "Eh? Shokora? That's a yummy name."

Shokora's eyes widen as she takes a few steps back. "Wh-what…?"

-

"_That guy's name is Ryou. Don't pay any attention to him. He isn't exactly the type to be asking for friends…"_

"_My name is Ichigo."_

"_Shokora, stop!"_

"_Say something! _Please_!"_

"_Wake up…"_

-

"Huh? Is something wrong?" Berry asks, a curious look on her face. "Did I say something offensive?"

Shokora shakes her head and forces a smile. "No. Sorry, I just…thought maybe someone else has said that to me. Anyways, nice meeting you." Giving another kind smile, she waves and runs off.

'_Shokora…'_

"What are you doing?" Someone asks from behind Berry, grabbing her arm.

"_Ah_!" She screams, whirling around and slapping whoever had grabbed her. Blinking a couple times, her face turns completely red. "O-oh! I-I'm s-so sorry, Ryou!" Berry bows to him quickly. _'Ah! Oh no! What could I ever say to him _now_?'_ She wonders, her faced reddening even more.

Rubbing the side of his face, her grabs her hand and begins to pull her back towards the café.

'_He's mad… He's _so_ mad at me…!'_ She thinks franticly.

"You're not being paid to goof off." He mumbles, opening to doors to the café. "Ichigo's slacking. You need to help her."

"You jerk! I've only been gone five minutes!" She shouts, glaring at him. Now she could understand how Ichigo could be at bad terms with Ryou all the time. He wasn't exactly the polite type. _'I wonder if _he's_ seen that girl before…'_ She wonders to herself. "Ryou, do you know anyone by the name Sho—"

"Berry, help meee!" Ichigo begs, running this way and that, trying to take people's orders.

"R-right!" She stutters, running over to help Ichigo.

"Berry…what were you doing outside?" Lettuce asks, noting the wondering look on Berry's face.

"What? Oh, nothing. I just met someone. She seemed nice, but I don't really know who she is."

"Oh? What's her name?" Lettuce asks, cleaning up the rest of the new mess she had made.

"Shokora. Ever seen or heard of her before?"

"Sh-Shokora?" Lettuce stutters.

-

_"W-well...that...Aoyama guy...well he..."_

_"Well he...found out that I was Kisshu's sister. I guess he thought me as an enemy...so he attacked."_

-

"U-umm…well…I-I…I don't think I've ever heard the name." Lettuce lies, turning her back to Berry. "Maybe s-she's new?" She felt really bad for lying to Berry, but what good would it do to tell her about someone who was dead. But wait…she said that she met someone named Shokora. Were there others around named Shokora? She hadn't heard that name before, so it wasn't likely. "Maybe you should just forget about it?"

Berry sighs. "But…" She knew Lettuce wasn't telling her what she knew. _'Something's up here…'_ Walking over to the corner table, she sits down with Minto, who was drinking her tea as she normally did at this time. "Umm…Minto?"

"What?" She asks, looking up from a magazine.

"Do you know anyone named Shokora?" She asks, hoping to get an answer from Minto.

"Shokora…?" Minto asks slowly.

-

"_What happened to Shokora?"_

"_You want your brother, don't you…"_

-

"N-no…sorry…" She says quickly, going back to reading her magazine.

Berry sighs and walks around again to take people's orders.

"You look disappointed." Pudding says, jumping up and landing in front of Berry. "What's up?"

"No one will tell me what I want to know…" Berry sighs, placing an order down in front of the person who had asked.

"What would that be?"

"Pudding…do _you_ know anyone by the name Shokora?" She asks, hoping she would finally get an answer.

"I…"

-

_"Oh, Pudding, there you are!"_

_"Oh...the sunset is pretty, isn't it?"_

_"Shirogane-san will be wondering where we are. Lets go."_

-

"Umm…I don't…err, sorry." She says quickly, running off to go serve the food.

'_They all seem to know _something…_'_ Berry walks off, doing what she would normally do. Take orders, serve the food, occasionally wash the dishes… "Ryou?" Berry asks, when he walked by. "Could you come over here?"

Giving a small sigh, he walks over to Berry. "What?"

"W-well…do you know anyone…named Shokora?" She asks, looking up at him.

"Shokora…?" He repeats softly to himself. Turning away, he wipes away what Berry suspected to be a tear.

-

"_I-I'm sorry, Shirogane-san!"_

"_O-oh, Shirogane-san…umm…no, I don't need any help. That's okay."_

"_I-I do…love Ryou…"_

-

"I know that all of you know at least _something_ about this girl. Why is no one telling me?" She asks irritably.

"You don't need to know. It's none of your business."

Berry folds her arms. "This is getting to be _so_ unfair." She huffs.

Waving his hand, he walks away. "Just…get back to work."

Berry shakes her fist in the air at him. "_Jerk_!" She screams.

"It's best if you don't know…" He whispers once out of her sight.

- - -

"Finally finished!" Ichigo and Berry both sigh together after work was over.

"Say, Ichigo?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you…know anybody by the name 'Shokora'?" She asks, looking over at Ichigo.

'_H-how does she know about Shokora?'_

"I've asked Lettuce, Minto, Pudding, and even _Ryou_, but none of them gave me an answer!" Berry whines.

"B-Berry…Shokora is…"

- - -

**Sakura: Okay, that's it for now.**

**Berry: Waah! She was just about to tell meee! Evil!**

**Sakura: - Sorry...**

**Berry: -Sulks in corner-**

**Sakura: Review!**


	4. Fallen Tears

**Sakura: Okay, here's the next chapter. It took awhile to update…o-O Please forgive the stupid chapter name...T.T**

**Minto: I didn't mind it taking so long. And the chapter name _is_ stupid.**

**Sakura: T.T'**

**Ringo: Am I going to be in this one?**

**Berry: You know enough about her now, right? Ringo can come into the story now, right?**

**Sakura: Yes, I'll try, I guess…**

**Ringo: Yay! Oh…and Yuki-chan?**

**Sakura: -Nods- Umm…sure. Yuki-chan, too.**

**Ringo: And Mashio?**

**Sakura: Err…I don't know much about Mashio at all…**

**Ringo: -Sniffles- But I want my onii-chan to be involved, too…**

**Sakura: o-o I'll try, I'll try!**

**Remember: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew, A La Mode, or any of the characters.**

- - -

"B-Berry...Shokora is..."

"Ichigo!" Ryou calls from across the café. Ichigo blinks and looks over her shoulder at Ryou.

"What?" Ichigo asks in an irritated tone. "I've finished my work for the day...what else could you want, slave driver...?" She mumbles under her breath, making careful note she didn't say it loud enough for him to hear. Berry couldn't help but giggle at the statement, but stopped once she realized Ryou had just taken her explanation away.

"Ah! Ichigo, tell me before you go!" Berry stutters, grabbing onto Ichigo's sleeve as she began to walk over to Ryou to see what he wanted.

"It doesn't really matter that much..." Ichigo says softly, placing her hand on Berry's to loosen the grip. Though she wasn't always the type to care, she didn't want her uniform to get wrinkled.

"But Ichigooo..." Berry whines, letting go of Ichigo's sleeve. "I've asked everyone else and they won't tell me. I know that you all know something about Shokora." She says huffily.

Ichigo sighs and turns her back to Berry. "Look...I'll tell you later today, alright? I'll phone you." Berry gives a long sigh before giving a reluctant nod.

"Fine." She grumbles, walking to the back of the room to change.

"Now what do you want?" Ichigo asks, turning her attention to Ryou, who was now standing in front of her.

"I don't want you telling Berry anything about Shokora." Ryou says slowly, making sure Berry wasn't still lingering around.

Ichigo gives him a suspicious look. "Why not?" She asks, her look seeming to be a slight glare. Why in the world wouldn't she be able to tell Berry? She had a right to know. It really wasn't fair at all to keep a secret from only one Mew Mew. Besides, Shokora's gone, right? So what's all this?

"Just...don't. It won't do her any good. Besides, she's gone so it wouldn't matter."

"Exactally!" Ichigo agrees, noding. "So just let me tell her, then!"

Ryou shakes his head. "It would matter, just not right when you tell her."

Ichigo blinks. "Okay, now I'm confused."

Ryou sighs with frustration and runs his fingers through his hair. "If Shokora were to come back somehow, it would be better off to leave her clueless so she can fight without any problems."

"Fight her without any problems?" Ichigo repeats, looking even more confused now."

"Yes. Without any problems. Think about it… The Saint Rose Crusaders. Keiichiro and I don't know for sure yet, but we're suspecting they can do things beyond our knowledge. That would include bringing back the dead. Now…suppose if they were to find out about Shokora somehow?"

"So you're expecting Shokora to magically appear again?" Ichigo asks, folding her arms. "So you can have her back? Then what about me? Does that mean Aoyama-kun is going to magically appear so I can have him back too?" Ichigo glares at Ryou, feeling her anger rise. Yeah, she lost someone too, but that doesn't mean she was going to keep him a secret to people that want to know. If they want to know, she was sure going to tell them, even if she expected him to come back and be against her and the other Mew Mews. So what right does he have telling her that she can't tell Berry anything? She had told Berry who Masaya was when she wanted to know. And so did everyone else. They each had something to say about him. So why not tell her about Shokora? Is he afraid that Berry will ask him about Shokora if she herself told her? _'Augh…headache…'_ Ichigo thinks to herself, holding her head.

Ryou looks down at Ichigo, slightly surprised at her tone. He had never thought about Ichigo losing Masaya. It seemed so long ago now to him, but to Ichigo it must still feel like yesterday. That's what it felt like to him, anyways. To him, it seemed Shokora was still working at the café…still here yesterday… He shakes his head. "Just…don't tell her… Ichigo…please…"

Ichigo's eyes widen. Since when did Ryou have that tone of voice? And when exactally did he learn how to say 'please'? Turning around and heading for the door, she shakes her head slowly. "I really am sorry, Ryou..." She whispers before heading out the door and towards her house. There was no way she could keep it from Berry. She had a right to know and if no one else, Ichigo would be the one to tell her. _'I'm so sorry Ryou…'_

It didn't take her long to get home since she ran the whole way. Right when she got in the door, she kicked her shoes off and ran up the stairs to her room. She closed the door behind her quickly and leaned against it, a long sigh escaping her as she slid down to the floor. She stared up at the ceiling blankly for a moment. _'I should tell her, but…as much as it creeps me out to say, I don't want to do something like that to Ryou…'_ Ichigo gives a long frustrated sigh and rests her head on her knees. Clenching her fists, she stands up and walks over to the desk on the opposite side of the room. She grabs her pink cell phone which sat on top of the old science reports from the year of school that had just passed. Dialing the number slowly, she sits down on her bed, her heart pounding.

"Hello?" She heard Berry's voice sound on the other end.

"B-Berry! Hi!" Ichigo stutters, straightening up. "Umm…about Shokora…"

"Oh, right!" Berry says, as if just remembering something her life depended on.

"Well…umm…"

"Tell meee!" Berry whines.

Ichigo takes a deep breath. "Meet me at the park near the edge of town, okay? I'll tell you there." She says as fast as she can and hangs up. _'What's with me? Why can't I just come out and say…?'_

-

_"Onii-san...you're going to take good care of Ichigo, right...?"_

_"I didn't want...anything to happen to Ichigo. She's...very important to you, isn't she...?"_

"…_You better not...let anything happen to...Ichigo..."_

-

Ichigo shakes her head quickly, trying to rid the images of Shokora before she died. Maybe that's why…because she _saw_ her die… She shivered at the word. Die… First Masaya…then Shokora…who next? Again, she shook her head to get rid of the thought. "No time for that." She says, standing up and walking out of the house towards where she had told Berry to meet her.

- - -

'_How am I going to explain this…?'_ Ichigo wonders, staring at the grass as she slowly swings back and forth on the play ground swing set.

"Ichigo?" Someone asks breathlessly from behind her, causing shivers to run down her back.

"B-Berry!" Ichigo says, standing up quickly to face Berry. She forces a smile and waves her over as she walks over to a tree. "Lets talk over here…" Berry nods and follows. Ichigo sits down by the tree and pats the ground beside her. Berry sits down beside Ichigo and looks at her.

"Are you finally going to tell me now?" She asks, sounding impatient now.

Ichigo nods once and begins to twirl her fingers. "Well…Berry. Umm, I've told you about Pai, Taruto and…and…" Ichigo felt a lump in her throat now and tears were forming at the edges of her eyes.

"Kisshu." Berry finishes.

"Yeah…him…" Ichigo nods, wiping away the small tears. Why did she get like that now that Kisshu and them had left? Why was it so hard to say his name?

-

_"Just as Shokora wanted...I'll protect you..."_

"_Forever."_

-

"Ichigo?" Berry asks, waving her hand in front of Ichigo's face. "You still on earth? Ichigooo…"

"Huh? What?" Ichigo asks, blinking. "Oh…sorry…"

"You were saying?"

"Right… Well, she was…Kisshu's sister. About a year younger than him, I think." Ichigo begins to twirl the ends of her bangs absent mindedly. "She was a Mew Mew. We're not exactly sure how she became one, since she wasn't from this planet, and wasn't around at the time me and the others were infused. Snow Leopard, I think."

"It doesn't sound bad. Why wouldn't the others tell me?" Berry asks, tilting her head to the side."

Ichigo lowers her head, feeling the tears come back. "Well she…" She stands up slowly, turning her back to Berry. "I…I tried, but…"

Berry stands up as well and looks at Ichigo in a confused way. "Ichigo? What happened? Something happened with her, right? That's why the others wouldn't say…"

Ichigo breaks down into tears and covers her face with her hands. "I really tried…but I couldn't…she…" She chokes out, trembling slightly.

Berry takes a step towards Ichigo, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Ichigo…?" She asks softly. Berry felt shocked…very. She had never seen Ichigo like this. Never.

"I-I'm sorry, Berry…" She says shakily and runs as fast as she can towards her house, leaving a very confused Berry.

"Ichigo…what happened…?" Berry whispers, watching Ichigo disappear into the distance.

- - -

For the second time that day, Ichigo rushes into the house and up the stairs to her room. When she closes the door behind her, she flops on her bed, letting her tears flow freely onto the newly washed pillow case. Why? Why was she crying? Shokora's gone and there's nothing she can do about it…

-

_"Just as Shokora wanted...I'll protect you..."_

"_Forever."_

-

Ichigo closes her eyes tightly, the images of Kisshu's face coming back into her mind. What he had said that day… He's gone now, too…all three of them left. He couldn't have meant it since he's gone now. Ichigo clenches her fists, trying to stop the tears. She turns over onto her back and stares up at the ceiling, the tears still flooding down the sides of her face. "Kisshu…come back…" She closes her eyes, feeling a bit tired now. _'Come back to me… You promised, didn't you…?'_ After that last thought, she fell asleep.

- - -

**Minto: That's it?**

**Sakura: Give me a break. ;-; I got writers block now, okay?**

**Minto: Good. You going to stop it here, then?**

**Sakura: -Raises fist into the air- Never! Review!**


	5. Missing

**Sakura: Okay, I am so, _SO_ sorry for the looong wait. –Bows head-**

**Minto: I didn't mind.**

**Sakura: Figures…**

**Ringo: I'm in this one, right? Riiiight?**

**Sakura: I guess. I'll try to put you in this chapter, but I don't know for sure.**

**Remember: I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew/A La Mode. If I did, Masaya would have died, or just not have ever existed, and Ichigo would have tried to stop Kisshu from leaving. So there ya go.**

- - -

Ichigo groans and rolls over in her sleep, covering her head with her pillow. "Stupid sun…" She mumbles. _'Why again did I choose to put my bed so close to the window…?'_ She wonders irritably to herself. It used to be no problem to sleep with the sun shining through the window, but ever since she became a Mew Mew, it got harder and harder to do so. She sits up and places the pillow on her lap, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "Oh, that's right…" She says sleepily, standing up to go grab her brush. "Today's my day off." She smiles to herself as she runs the brush through her hair. _'It's been awhile since I've had a day off.'_ She turns around and begins to walk over to her window, humming to herself. Just before she got to the window, the area in front of her rippled and a figure appeared in front of her.

"Koneko-chan!" An all too familiar voice says happily.

"AH!" Ichigo screams, falling back. The person smiles and grabs both her hands, keeping her on her feet.

"Nice to see you too…" He says with a small laugh.

"K-Kisshu!" She stutters, pulling her hands away and taking a couple steps back. Kisshu tilts his head to the side and stares at her for a moment. Ichigo blinks and looks down at herself. Her outfit consisted of a light top that ended just above her stomach, and shorts that looked a lot like underwear. Her face turned an amazing shade of red as she screamed again and threw the brush at Kisshu. "_Pervert_!" Kisshu dodges the brush and goes out the door to the hall, closing it behind him. Ichigo directs a death glare at the door, hearing Kisshu snickering on the other side. "That _little_…" She growls, clenching her fists. _'Wait…'_ She thinks to herself, blinking twice. _'Kisshu's back?'_ She quickly changed into her clothes and opened the door to reveal Kisshu, who had a huge grin on his face. "Comment on just a minute ago, and you die." She says dangerously. "Anyways…what are you doing here?" She asks, walking down the stairs to go make breakfast.

"It's no fun on our new planet." He says in a whiney tone, following her to the kitchen. "Taruto agreed, and Pai…well, I don't know why he came with us, but they're both back too."

Ichigo sits down, pouring some milk into her bowl of cereal. "Pudding will be happy to hear that." She says, placing the milk down and taking a bite.

"Besides, how am I supposed to protect you if I'm not here, hm?" He asks, giving a sly smile. Ichigo drops her spoon on the table, choking on her new mouthful of cereal after what Kisshu said.

"U-umm…" she grabs the cloth beside her bowl and wipes her mouth, trying to think of a reply.

"So there's a new enemy, huh?" He asks, changing the subject somewhat.

Ichigo nods. "Yeah…the Saint Rose Crusaders—how do you know this?" She asks suddenly, looking at Kisshu curiously.

"Pai told me. After awhile he realized we left some Kirema Anima behind and that they had currently caused some trouble. Kirema Anima don't do much unless they're ordered to do something, and what had been happening seemed too organized to be the Kirema Anima's own choice."

"And he came to the conclusion that there's a new enemy." Ichigo finishes, nodding. Pai always seemed to be so smart to Ichigo…considering the fact that he was a number of years older than she, and he could do things far beyond her understanding.

"Yes. Aren't you usually heading for work at this time.?" Kisshu asks, tilting his head to the side.

"AH! Work!" Ichigo panics, standing up and rushing up the stairs to grab her uniform she had brought home. Half way up the stairs, Ichigo stops and stares at the next step for a moment. _'Augh…I don't _have_ work today…'_ She thinks irritably to herself. Quickly turning around, she goes back down the stairs and gives Kisshu a glare. "I. Don't. Have. Work." She says firmly, crossing her arms.

"How was I supposed to know?" He asks, trying his best to look innocent, though his usual childish grin was still there. Of course, he knew, but teasing Ichigo like this was just so much fun for him. He had gone to the café to look for Ichigo first and she wasn't there, so he ended up looking at her house.

Breaking the silence, Ichigo's phone rang upstairs in her room. Ichigo once again dashes up the stairs and into her room, grabbing the small pink cell phone on her bedside table. "Y-yes?" Ichigo asks, trying to catch her breath.

"Ichigo, is Pudding over at your house?" Came Minto's voice from the other end.

"Pudding? No, why?" Ichigo asks, sitting down on her bed.

"She was supposed to come to work today, but she hasn't shown up yet—"

"Ichigo-oneechan?" Ichigo hears Ringo ask in the background. "Ichigo-oneechan, where's Pudding-chan?"

"Ringo, shush…" Minto whispers to Ringo. "Do you have any idea where she might be?" Minto asks, turning her attention back to Ichigo.

Ichigo shakes her head, as if Minto were right there in front of her. "No. Maybe she's just running late? Or maybe she's not feeling well."

"Go look for her." Minto says simply, and hangs up.

Ichigo blinks twice, hanging up as well, then throws her cell phone at the wall. "Arrgh! Why on my one my day off!" She yells as loud as she possibly could.

Before the phone could hit the wall, Kisshu appears in front of the wall and catches it. "Throwing things won't help, koneko-chan…" He says slowly, walking over to her and placing the phone on the bedside table. "So what's got you so angry, hm?" He asks, looking over at her.

Ichigo stands up and gives an irritated sigh, walking towards the door. "Minto wants me to go look for Pudding."

Kisshu follows her, still not completely sure why she was so mad. "And that's a bad thing? It's not really that hard to look for someone, is it?"

"It's my one day off." She groans, grabbing her shoes and walking out of the house. "I didn't really feel like doing that much today."

"Then let me look for her. I can get Taruto to help, too." He says, walking a bit faster to get a few inches ahead of her.

Ichigo continues to walk down the road towards Pudding's house. "No…she's probably just at home."

"And if she's not?" Kisshu asks, slowing down a bit to walk at Ichigo's side.

"Then I'll look in other places. I'm kind of curious where she could be. She doesn't usually miss work unless she's _really_ sick. If you want, you can look too, but you don't have to." Ichigo stops in front of the door to Pudding's house. "You might not want to come in…" She says slowly.

"Why?" Kisshu asks, tilting his head to the side.

Ichigo knocks on the door, waiting for an answer. The sound of many footsteps came from the house, followed by the bickering of little kids. "I'll answer, you keep looking!"

"No! _I_ want to!"

The door is swung open, revealing all of Puddings younger siblings.

"I'm guessing Pudding isn't here, then…?" Ichigo asks slowly, sighing.

They all shake their heads, faces looking sad and worried. Some even looked as if they were going to cry at any given moment.

"She hasn't been home since last night. Do you know where she is, Ichigo-oneechan?" The eldest of the group asked, looking teary eyed.

Ichigo shakes her head as well and turns to walk back to the sidewalk.

"You'll find her, right?" He calls to her, wiping away unshed tears.

Ichigo smiles over her shoulder and nods. "Yeah. I'll try." All their faces lighten up a bit. "I'll go check the parks. Maybe she's there." With another reassuring nod, more for herself than Pudding's siblings, she sets off towards the park, followed closely by Kisshu.

"Ichigo! Kisshu!" Someone calls from a distance once they reach the park. Ichigo's gaze instantly moves to where she heard her name, thinking it might be Pudding.

"Taruto, what are you doing?" Kisshu asks, walking past Ichigo and towards Taruto.

"I-err-nothing." He stutters, looking away. Kisshu smirks and covers his mouth to try to stop himself from giggling. Taruto gives him a death glare, his cheeks still painted light pink. "W-what!" He demands.

"You're looking for the Monkey Mew, admit it." He says between his giggles. Taruto's blush deepens.

"So you haven't been able to find her…?" Ichigo asks, looking disappointed. Taruto stops giving Kisshu a death glare and turns to Ichigo, shaking his head. Ichigo's disappointment gets replaced with worry. _'Where have you disappeared to, Pudding…?'_

- - -

Eyes covered by golden bangs just a moment ago slowly open to reveal themselves, looking dim and only half alert. _'Huh…? Where am I…?'_ The girl wonders to herself.

"Oh. So the Monkey Mew finally awakens." Someone says, coming out of a dark corner of the empty room. "I was starting to wonder if you'd wake up at all."

Pudding's eyes widen as she takes note of who was talking. "Sh-Shokora-neechan!" She gasps.

- - -

**Sakura: Guess I'll leave it there for now. I've got such bad writers block. It seems to come more often now. T.T**

**Minto: Good. Too bad it can't permanently stay, ne?**

**Sakura: You. Shush. Pai's back.**

**Minto: -Glares at authoress, then at Pai-**

**Pai: -Shrinks into a corner- …**

**Zakuro: -Death glare directed at Minto-**

**Minto: -Glares back-**

**Sakura: Err…anyways… Review!**


	6. Who are you?

**Sakura: Eck…I stopped at a really bad spot for myself…**

**Minto: It took you long enough to update.**

**Sakura: I know, I know! I'm sorry minna-san! T.T Stuff came up, then I forgot…**

**Remember: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew. If I did…Masaya would have died or not have ever existed in the first place.**

- - -

"Shokora-neechan?" Pudding asks, staring in disbelief. "Shokora-neechan, where are we? What's going on?"

"Nee…chan…?" Shokora repeats slowly to herself. _'Sister…?'_ Shokora shakes her head, feeling an on-coming headache. _'Wh-why would this girl call me _sister_?'_ She wonders. "Do I…know you?" Shokora asks, taking a step back to feel the cold wall against her back.

"Shokora." Someone says from the other side of the room. It was a girl, looking slightly older than Shokora.

"Juliet…" Shokora bows her head towards the girl, putting the fact that Pudding had called her nee-chan to the side for now.

"I thought you were ordered to capture the yellow mew _as well_ as the green." She says in a cold tone, sending shivers up Pudding's back. "Duke doesn't allow for mistakes."

"I'm sorry." Shokora says flatly, staring at the floor between Juliet and herself. "I'll do better next time…"

Juliet gives a frustrated sigh and walks up to Pudding. "Well…at least you managed to get _one_."

Shokora remains silent, her gaze not moving.

"Pudding Fon. Or do you prefer Mew Pudding? Pudding-_chan_, perhaps?" Juliet taunts.

Pudding narrows her eyes at the girl, clenching her fists as her anger rises. "Just Pudding." She growls.

"Right…Pudding. So, just how weak do you think the other Mew Mews would be against Shokora, hmm?" She asks, standing about two feet away from Pudding. "Shokora, wait outside." Juliet orders, her back still turned to Shokora.

"…Yes." Shokora says, turning her back and heading out the door. _'The Mew Mews would be weak against me…why?'_ She wonders, standing outside the door.

-

_Pudding skips along the pact dirt of the park pathway, humming happily to herself. She defiantly differed from Ichigo this way. She was a real morning person and loved to go to work. All her dearest friends were there, and it was fun for her._

_Suddenly, she sees someone in the distance._

"_Huh…?" Pudding begins to pick up her pace, no longer skipping. Who could be out at the park at this time? It was still pretty early, and it wasn't the most popular park, anyways._

_Before she had any more time to think about it, the person was surrounded by a blinding light. "Mew Mew Shokora, Metamorpho-SIS!" The person calls._

_Pudding gasps and stops dead in her tracks. 'That voice…the light…that's…'_

_A glowing whip is sent from the fading light, hitting Pudding directly. She quickly stands, pressing her lips lightly to her pendant and then holding it at her forehead. "Mew Mew Pudding, Metamorpho-SIS!" A bright yellow light surrounds her and she appears in her battle costume. "Wh-what are you doing!" She demands, summoning her weapon. Before she could attack or defend herself, she's hit again and knocked out cold._

'_Shokora…why…?'_

-

Shokora shakes her head and closes her eyes. _'It doesn't matter…all that matters is obeying Duke-sama…'_

"Shokora!" Juliet calls from the room. "Go find Ichigo and tell her we've got one of her friends. Bring her back, if possible. You have your orders."

Shokora nodded, though Juliet couldn't see her, and ran off to find Ichigo. _'Why do I feel like this is the wrong choice…?'_ Shokora wonders. _'And why do I feel like I know these girls… Ichigo… Pudding… Why? What's wrong with me?'_

-

Ichigo sighs and slides down to the ground. Her and Kisshu were outside the library, resting for now from searching for Pudding. "Ahh…she isn't anywhere…" Ichigo groans, trying to catch her breath.

Kisshu looks around, a thoughtful look in his eyes. "We haven't been to the park at the edge of town."

Ichigo looks up at him, then feels her heart sink slightly. _'That park…where I…tried to tell Berry…'_ Ichigo nods and stands up. "Lets get going, then." Though she didn't want to, she felt she had to for some reason.

Kisshu came from behind Ichigo and grabbed around her waist, pulling her close to him. "This'll be faster. Think of where you want to go and picture it in your mind." He whispers in her ear, causing her to blush.

"R-right…" Ichigo nods and closes her eyes. She pictures the swings where she had waited for Berry…the tree they sat under… The world suddenly became a blurred mess, causing her to twist in Kisshu's grip to turn around and burry her face in his chest. The blur made her feel dizzy and she felt like she was about to faint. To Ichigo, it felt like it took forever for the world to form itself again, but it probably only took about five seconds in reality.

"It's done." Kisshu says, letting his arms fall from her waist.

Ichigo blushes and pushes away from him. _'I just…I-I just…clung to him…'_ Ichigo's face turns bright red, causing her cat ears to pop up.

Kisshu snickers. "You like me that much, do you?"

Ichigo covers her cat ears. "N-n-no! Sh-shut up!" She got her cat ears to go back down and her face to go back to its original colour.

"Mew Ichigo!" Someone shouts from behind them, causing them both to turn around in surprise.

Ichigo's eyes widen with shock. "Sh-Sho…kora…?" She whispers, taking a step forward. "You…no…how can you be…?" Her mouth was betraying her, but she was at a loss for words anyways.

Shokora stares blankly at them both, her eyes hiding any emotion. If she recognized them, she wasn't showing it. "Transform, Mew Ichigo." She says flatly, summoning her weapon. She had already been in her Mew Mew form.

"Shokora…what are you talking about…? Why would I need to--?" She was cut off by Kisshu, who grabbed her and teleported them both a couple feet to the side, avoiding Shokora's sudden attack.

"Ichigo, pay attention." He says, letting her down and facing Shokora again. "Shokora! What are you doing!" Kisshu demands, taking a step towards her, only to be stopped in his tracks by the whip hitting just before his feet. A hole was now where the whip had struck.

"Mew Mew Strawberry, Metamorpho-SIS!" Ichigo touches her lips to her pendant and transforms.

"Ichigo?" Kisshu looks back at Ichigo. "You don't really intend to fight Sho—?"

"What choice do I have?" Ichigo says in a frusterated tone, summoning her Strawberry Bell. "She's obviously not going to stop if we ask her."

"But…"

"I'm sorry…" Ichigo says softly, before charging at Shokora.

Shokora steps to the side, avoiding Ichigo's fist aimed at her. "So you decided to fight…" She says softly, elbowing Ichigo in the back as she dodged, sending Ichigo to the ground. "Good."

Ichigo cries out as she was hit, but forces herself back up to her feet. "Ribbon…"

Shokora's eyes widen slightly, suddenly trying to back away.

"Strawberry Check!" Ichigo finishes, aiming at Shokora. This time, it was Ichigo's turn to be surprised. It was aimed perfectly, but…

"Ichigo…don't hurt her…" Kisshu says softly, holding his arm. He had jumped in front just in time to stop the attack from hitting Shokora. Though he didn't get the reaction he thought he would from Shokora. While his back was to her, she lifted her leg and kicked him in the side, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Kisshu!" Ichigo shouts, running towards him.

"Ribbon Shokora Slash!" Shokora calls, aiming for Ichigo.

"Ribbon Strawberry Check!" Ichigo deflects the attack and tackles Shokora to the ground. Before Shokora could do anything, Ichigo grabbed both her arms and pinned them down. "Shokora, what has gotten into you!" No response. Just a blank stare. "How could you attack him like that? Your own brother!" She didn't really mean for it to happen, but tears began to fill Ichigo's eyes, blurring her vision slightly. "Shokora…answer me…" She manages to choke out.

"My brother…?" She asks, her voice still showing no emotion what so ever. "I have a brother?"

Ichigo blinks back her tears and stares at Shokora blankly. "You…you don't remember him…? Or me…? Or the Mew Mews…?"

"Ichigo!"

Ichigo lets go of Shokora's arms and turns around instantly to see a blonde she knew all too well. He was only a few feet behind, trying to catch his breath. "Ichigo…what's going on here? Why are you transformed?" He asks, not yet aware of the person below Ichigo.

"Ryou…" Ichigo says softly under her breath.

"Don't turn your back!" Shokora quickly slips from under Ichigo and kicks her towards Ryou.

Ryou freezes, now aware of the other girl. But he still didn't believe his eyes. Not ever. It couldn't be who he thought it was. She had died…Ichigo told him…Kisshu told him…the Mew Mews told him…numerous times… He reached out his hand towards her and took a couple steps forwards, now only an arm's length away from her. "Shokora…?" He questions, looking as if in a daze.

Shokora stares blankly at him, not moving. _'I should attack… What's wrong with me? Why can't I move?'_

They stand still like that for what seemed to be an eternity, until finally, Ryou wrapped his arms around her. "I thought you were dead. What's going on?" He asked, sounding as if he were going to cry.

Ichigo, shocked, stared at the two. She didn't even know Ryou was capable of such a tone. And why didn't Shokora do anything? Did she remember him? Or was she _trying_ to remember? Or did she just not know what to do?

Shokora opens her mouth to speak. "Who…" She begins, placing her hand on his chest to push softly in a vain attempt to get out of his embrace. "Who are you…?" She asks, her eyes looking up at him blankly, as if in a trance.

Ichigo gives a sad sigh. This wasn't going to be the best thing for Ryou to hear…but somehow…she expected something like this to happen.

"Who are you?" She repeats. "Why to you all act as if you know me?"

- - -

**Sakura: Dun dun duuuunn…**

**Minto: …I wasn't in this one. At all. How could you?**

**Kisshu: -Snickers- She's cutting off your screen time.**

**Minto: -Death glare directed at author. Surrounded by flames.-**

**Sakura: Kisshu, you traitor! T.T No more Ichigo flirting for you!**

**Kisshu: Ah! No! I'm sorry! ;.;**

**Sakura: Update in who knows how long. I've got final exams this week. Sorry, minna-san! Bye-bye for now! **


End file.
